Despite the warnings we were given before coming to Oostende, I had a shock when sitting in the bus, I heard "we're here!" and raised my eyes from the book I was reading, only to see a cow and a few horses through the window. The cow didn't seem shocked. I have a feeling it had seen other suckers before us.
While the show is playing in Oostende, Belgium, we are staying in a place called the Sunparks Resorts Vacation Park, located about 20 minutes by car north of the city. The property consists of hundreds of tiny houses (which they call "villas", these guys are definitely in denial!) and a recreational area with all sorts of summer sports, including a water park and tennis courts. While those "villas" may be large enough for a couple or a family staying a week or two, it is definitely an inappropriate living space for two working people who are forced into this living arrangement for almost two months.
After dragging my heavy suitcases about a quarter of a mile to my "villa" (part of the way on a path of gravel and mud), I take a proper look around the place. No sheets on the beds, no towels (or even toilet paper!) in the bathroom. I walk to the front desk and they give me a bunch of plastic bags containing our sheets and towels. I put in a request for what I find out will be our weekly roll of toilet paper.
On my way back from the front desk, I notice a small grocery store. It does not offer much selection and by looking at the prices, you know it is the only one within miles. 2.40 Euros for HALF a loaf of bread. That's $3.60 CAD. More than 7 bucks for the whole bread (which by the way they dont seem to sell anywhere in this country). They have a captive clientele and they take full advantage of it. The same pricing policy applies to the restaurants and sport activities available at the park.
I quickly realize that the five Euro bill I have in my pocket will not last me very long in this place so I go on a quest to find an ATM. There are none on the property. The best that Sunparks can offer me is a cash advance on my credit card. I ask where is the closest ATM and they tell me it's in the village of DeHaan. "Just take a left at the front gate and when you get to the village, the bank is on your left". So I walk, and I walk, and I walk. 25 minutes and still no sign of an ATM, or a village for that matter...
By then I am hungry, tired and I am starting to doubt if I will be able to walk back even if I do find the ATM and the real grocery store (which is probably closed by now anyways). So I turn around, walk back to Sunparks, eat an overpriced dodgy tasting pizza which I put on my credit card, and then just return to my "villa" to start unpacking. There's a roll of toilet paper on the door knob. At least now I can use the toilet.
Once I have taken what I need out of my suitcases (the rest will need to stay in there since there is not enough space in my room), I decide to relax a bit in front of the television. I'm watching an old episode of an American sitcom subtitled in Dutch when all of a sudden, the power goes out. There are no telephones in the "villas" so I just wait a bit, hoping that it will come back by itself. Walking the quarter mile back to the front desk would be pointless since it's late and the reception is closed. I go outside to get some air and notice that all the other houses seem to have power. It's just us in the dark. A breaker has tripped.
I turn the breaker back on, return to watching television and after another 20 minutes, it trips again. I flip it back on but surely enough it happens one more time. "Click". In the house, only the TV is on, apart from one lightbulb in the living room. I get tired of that game and switch off the television. A few minutes later, I am reading in bed when suddenly it's dark again. I just close my book and put my head on the pillow. The breaker can wait until tomorrow. It's past midnight and I have to be at work at 8. And I have no idea where work is.
TO BE CONTINUED...